The Silk Road

Our host begins his journey in Venice, like Marco Polo, the famous voyager who traveled the ancient route. On this journey we see the mosaics of St Mark's Basilica which reveal the links that connect this city with the distant lands of Asia. Also we get a taste of Venetian cuisine and view an Armenian monastery which is packed with manuscripts in all languages, brought there via the Silk Road.

At the edge of the European continent, Alfred de Montesquiou enters Turkish territory through the city of Edirne, to discover Ottoman architectural wonders and the traditional local sport of oil-wrestling, in which men are doused in olive oil before bouts.

At the heart of the Anatolian plateau, our host visits the first of the Caravanserai which dot his journey, as they once dotted the ancient trade routes. The Caravanserai at Aksaray is a perfect example of architecture of the Seljuq dynasty, the first empire in the region starting in the 10th century.

Alfred discovers Iran; enter the city that once was the core of the entire Silk Road in Persia: Tabriz. He heads into the bazaar, the finest in the country, and wanders through its 22 miles of alleyways and stalls. Our guide meets Dr Faribouz Esmaeli at the heart of this architectural gem he oversaw its restoration. Tabriz is also the center of the ancient Armenian community in Iran.

Alfred learns that Iran has a Silk Road office. Its representative explains that the government wishes to develop links between other countries along the illustrious road. Far from the city, at 2,000 meters above sea level, Alfred visits the ruins of Hassan-i Sabbah fortress, founder of a movement known as "Hashshashins" drug smokers and killers who gave us the modern word "assassin".

In the oasis of Kashan, in central Iran, Alfred marvels at the famous pleasure gardens of Fin. At the temple of Chak Chak, in the nearby mountains, he is introduced to Zoroastrianism, Persia's ancestral religion. In the sacred city of Yazd, in southern Iran, he visits a zurkhaneh, a "house of strength", where athletes engage in training sessions.